The concept model info.bar, announced in May 2001, articulated and gave concrete form to a latent desire that had not been addressed by the mainstream mobile phone market: the wish for a well-designed mobile phone. The concept immediately resonated with many people, who responded with a strong sense of recognition—“this is what I wanted.”
However, a significant gap existed between presenting a concept and bringing it to market. As KDDI’s first in-house planning project, development involved many challenges, taking a year and a half before full-scale development could begin, followed by another year of engineering work. Overcoming numerous technical issues, INFOBAR made its debut in October 2003 as the first product of the au Design project.
At a time when clamshell-style phones were becoming dominant, INFOBAR stood out with its straight-body form and bold color schemes such as “NISHIKIGOI” and “ICHIMA+J15 beyond the product itself, influencing the au brand and contributing to its recognition as a design-driven brand. INFOBAR continues to be regarded as a pioneer of the “design mobile phone.”

【Awards】
2003: Good Design Award
2004: Asia Design Award – Grand Prize (China / Hong Kong)
2005: iF Design Award (Hanover, Germany)
2003: DIME Trend Award (Business / IT Category, Gold Prize)
2003: Digimono Station “Device of the Year 2003” (Telecommunications / Mobile Category Award; Jury Special Award)
2003: POPEYE “Digital Design of the Year 2003” (Gold Prize)
2003: Keitai Watch “Cell Phone of the Year 2003” (Readers’ Choice, 1st Place)
2003: Mono Magazine “Super Goods of the Year” (Jury Special Award; Design Award)

【Collections】
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Source: Sunahara, Satoshi (2017). *Keitai no Keitaigaku [The Morphology of Mobile Phones]*. Rokuyosha.